as in sitting duck
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Recent Examples of lightning rod
Garland’s memo became a lightning rod for conservative lawmakers who held hearings asking whether prosecutors and the FBI were targeting parents for voicing their concerns.
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Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2024
But because these cards were so expensive and so highly sought-after, their banning became a lightning rod for players aggrieved that their decks were no longer legal to play or their investments were now useless.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 3 Oct. 2024
Immigrants have become a lightning rod for frustrations supercharged by a continent-wide inflation and cost-of-living crisis.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 28 Sep. 2024
But unlike American tech titans such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, Chang has not become a lightning rod for public protests against wealth inequality, at least in part because his net worth of around $2 billion is barely a rounding error compared to the fortunes of those executives.
—Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lightning rod 
Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2024
But because these cards were so expensive and so highly sought-after, their banning became a lightning rod for players aggrieved that their decks were no longer legal to play or their investments were now useless.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 3 Oct. 2024
Immigrants have become a lightning rod for frustrations supercharged by a continent-wide inflation and cost-of-living crisis.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 28 Sep. 2024
But unlike American tech titans such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, Chang has not become a lightning rod for public protests against wealth inequality, at least in part because his net worth of around $2 billion is barely a rounding error compared to the fortunes of those executives.
—Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lightning rod
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightning rod
Noun
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Servicemembers are also sitting ducks, transporting fuel trucks in war zones, so reducing fuel needs could save their lives.Joan Michelson, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
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Intercepts have been easy because the scout drones are sitting ducks.David Hambling, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
Noun
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Once more, Turkey seems to have become a whipping boy for all manner of interests, some of which have little to do with the realities of Turkey itself.Hugh Pope, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2010
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The Republicans and their puppet master, Donald Trump, are ginning up the machine against immigration and making Mayorkas their whipping boy for chaos at the border.New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 18 Apr. 2024
Noun
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The Dnipropetrovsk region has been a frequent target of Russian bombardment in recent months.Catherine Nicholls, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
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Adair argues, though, that the case should serve as a broader warning about cybersecurity threats to Wi-Fi for high-value targets—and not just from the usual suspects loitering in the parking lot or the lobby.Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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In this instance, the victim’s family can file a wrongful death claim.Nia Bowers, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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Michelle Pleasant, an Irvington resident and co-organizer of Safe Routes to School Irvington, became an advocate after Crutchfield’s death, working with the victim's mother.Daryl Perry, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The game became the butt of jokes and a slew of memes for its hilarious visual glitches, a legacy that leaves Epler feeling torn.George Yang, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024
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While Josie and Saldaña's character, Joe, initially butt heads, the actresses share a friendly bond in real life.JP Mangalindan, People.com, 28 Oct. 2024
Noun
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The regulation became necessary when the number of whales near the coast spiked after a marine heat wave from 2014 to 2018 apparently pushed their prey – such as sardines and anchovies – closer to shore, and the humpbacks followed.Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
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This suggests the influence of other factors, such as the emergence of coral reefs and changes in prey availability, which could have driven the evolutionary trajectory of sharks.Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near lightning rod
Cite this Entry
“Lightning rod.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightning%20rod. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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